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for the love of wordsWed, 13 Dec 2017 13:36:32 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/c6a14997dc86e9347cc9117bc08942cf?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pnglollapalingohttps://lollapalingo.com
Where’s Your Mojo?https://lollapalingo.com/2013/06/13/wheres-your-mojo/
https://lollapalingo.com/2013/06/13/wheres-your-mojo/#respondThu, 13 Jun 2013 18:33:11 +0000http://lollapalingo.com/?p=368]]>I recently lost my mojo. Not to worry – I got it back. It was a feeling of blankness. More than a feeling, I was in a fog. A fog of confusion, sadness, and worry. What is mojo? How did I know I lost it? Where does it come from? How does it come back? How do you know you have it at all? And does everybody have it?

When was the first time you heard of a mojo? Was it the Doors’L.A. Woman? In the song’s coda, Jim Morrison repeats the phrase, Mr. Mojo Risin’. Did you know it is an anagram of Jim Morrison? As far as anagrams go, this is a great one.

Well, I just got into town about an hour agoTook a look around, see which way the wind blowWhere the little girls in their Hollywood bungalowsAre you a lucky little lady in The City of LightOr just another lost angel … City of Night …Mr. Mojo Risin’, Mr. Mojo Risin’ … Got to keep on risin’Mr. Mojo Risin’, Mr. Mojo Risin’ … gotta Mojo Risin’Mr. Mojo Risin’, gotta keep on risin’ …

Early blues musicians referred to their mojo, as in the Muddy Waters’ song, I Got My Mojo Workin’. The older blues singers and their descendants, including Jim Morrison, used it to refer to sexual power or energy, an interpretation still used today. Which eventually evolved into its present usage meaning strength or prowess in general.

Evolving from sublime sexual prowess to a universal symbol of positive currency, mojo commonly refers to talent and strength. A universal positive indicator. The emission control center oozing positive energy, it is the zone you are in where creative juices flow, where inspiration reigns, and bliss thrives. You need your mojo to set your conscious mind free so you can consider, imagine, and ultimately just do it (which is, by the way, the Three Dog Day Productions credo). It seeps into your soul and you are awash in the prospect, the hope, the potential for reward and fulfillment.

“Mojo is that positive spirit, towards what we are doing now, that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside. Mojo is at its peak when we are experiencing both happiness and meaning in what we are doing and communicating this experience to the world around us.”

In the Austin Powers movies, mojo rules! It is the essence of our hero’s mythical sexual prowess and his strength. In The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin’s mojo was stolen. With his mojo gone, he goes through an existential crisis, not only feeling less virile, but fearing he has also lost his skills – his talent – to stop Dr. Evil. Here’s how Jerry Springer explains it:

“You know, what have we learned here today? Perhaps it’s that no one can take your mojo. You can look around all you want, but what you’re really trying to find is on the inside. Take care of yourself, and each other.”

The Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album Mojo is a “record we couldn’t have made in the ’70s and ’80s because we weren’t really good enough as musicians … we’ve become better musicians.” So says Tom Petty, talking of his band’s musical evolution. And mojo is exactly what it is they have. The album’s spirited sound was made by recording the band members in the same room facing each other, playing and singing at the same time. They were in the moment. They had their mojo. And evidenced by naming their album Mojo, they knew it.

Yes, it has become popular slang. But maybe it shouldn’t even be considered as slang anymore. Maybe its use in common vernacular, its very recognition in everyday communications, renders it, well, normal. After all, companies use it to name their magazines, candies, beers, stereo systems, waters, and metal polish. Yeah, metal polish. On my marketing and trends blog,Yvette Perry’s Blog, I post a weekly Monday Marketing Mojoarticle. I thought this title suitably conveyed the intent of those posts.

What is mojo? It’s our inner magic. That special spark that keeps us motivated and makes us believe in ourselves. What’s it for? It keeps us focused and interested in what we are doing. It allows us to persevere and grow and achieve. And if we lose it, how do we find it? I started out by telling you that I lost mine and that I got it back. Life throws us curves that may temporarily misplace our mojo. Like Dorothy and her ruby slippers, it’s always with us. And when the time is right it casts its spell and returns home.

Filed under: Word of the Day Tagged: Austin Powers, Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman, Mojo, Muddy Waters, The Doors, The Spy Who Shagged Me, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers]]>https://lollapalingo.com/2013/06/13/wheres-your-mojo/feed/0lollapalingoWord.Mojo.Doors-LAWomanWord.Mojo.AustinPowers.TheSpyWhoShaggedMe.4.crWord.Mojo.TomPetty.2Word.Mojo.Oz.Dorothy.2The Power of Yeshttps://lollapalingo.com/2013/05/20/the-power-of-yes/
https://lollapalingo.com/2013/05/20/the-power-of-yes/#commentsMon, 20 May 2013 17:19:34 +0000http://lollapalingo.com/?p=356]]>Yes. A powerful positive word. The most positive word. Yet everyone talks about hope. They think about hope. They pray for hope. What a powerful word hope is. Think about its dominance as the unifying and urgent supplication in President Obama’s pursuit of his American dream. What if we take it to its reasonable next step? What are we hoping for? It’s yes. We are always hoping for yes. We’re not hoping for its opposite. That wouldn’t be very positive, would it? It’s yes we want to hear. A marriage proposal? A job interview? A car loan? Yes, yes, and yes.

After winning the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina, Barack Obama offered these inspiring remarks in his Yes We Can Change speech:

“Don’t tell me we can’t change.
Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can.Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future.And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words: yes, we can.”

“Despite one of music’s most positive names the veteran quintet Yeshas seen more than its share of turbulence and rivalries over a life span that has now reached its 45th year.” (Steve Smith, The New York Times, April 11, 2013)

The 70’s prog-rock band is currently on tour. And yes, Yes is still relevant. Their lyrics were quixotic, their music was hypnotic – but it was the great Roger Deanwho made Yes legendary. Amplifying their image, he created their inimitable and ultimately iconic logo and album cover artwork. Typical of their positive message are the lyrics Chris Squire and Jon Anderson wrote:

“Don’t surround yourself with yourselfMove on back two squaresSend an instant karma to meInitial it with loving care.”

Yes is powerful because it is positively empowering. We regularly face all sorts of hardships – as a nation, in our communities, in our businesses, and as individuals needing, striving, yearning to survive. By focusing on those things we can accomplish, that we can say yes to, we endure. We even thrive. If we can dream it, why not go for it? As a marketer, I always tell clients, “I don’t say no. There is always a way to do something. There is always yes.” Who better to have the definitive word on yes than marketing guru and all-around positive thinker Seth Godin:

“Yes, it’s okay to ship your work.Yes, you’re capable of making a difference.Yes, it’s important.Yes, you can ignore that critic.Yes, your bravery is worth it.Yes, we believe in you.Yes, you can do even better.Yes.

Yes is an opportunity and yes is an obligation. The closer we get to people who are confronting the resistance on their way to making a ruckus, the more they let us in, the greater our obligation is to focus on the yes.

There will always be a surplus of people eager to criticize, nitpick or recommend caution. Your job, at least right now, is to reinforce the power of the yes.”

How do you bring The Rascals, first known as The Young Rascals, to Broadway after all these years? When the members of this legendary group don’t even talk to each other, how can they go on stage together night after night? What do you do? Bringing in a mediator is sometimes the only way to get opposing parties to talk. How about getting them to sing together? Sounds like a job for that mighty negotiator, Little Steven Van Zandt.

Groovin’…Good Lovin’…It’s a Beautiful Morning…Lonely Too Long…How Can I Be Sure…People Got to Be Free…

It was Little Steven who welcomed Gene Cornish, Felix Cavalieri, Dino Danelli, and Eddie Brigati, The Rascals, into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Bitterness and lawsuits kept them apart throughout the years. It was Little Steven who urged them to reunite. When asked why this didn’t happen for so long, Eddie Brigatti answers, “the catalyst, the person who had to put this together had to be a person that a) you respected, that b) you trusted …”

As evidenced by his radio show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage, Steve is on an impassioned quest to preserve rock ‘n’ roll. And if you’re Little Steven, you don’t let anything get in the way of a great music idea. You get the members to put their differences aside. You figure it out. You plug away. You make it happen. It’s all in the compromise. Peacemaker and diplomat Little Steven told them, “Talk to each other, how’s the family, how are you, leave it at that.” Then get on stage and do what you do best.

After all, this is the man that is introduced by The Boss as the Minister of Faith and Friendship. No ultimatum. No debating. Just get along and get going. Now why can’t lawmakers and big business take a cue from The Boss’s chief negotiator? Compromise, Little Steven style.

com·pro·mise[kom-pruh-mahyz] noun 1. a settlement of differences by mutual concessions; an agreement reached by adjustment of opposing principles by reciprocal modification of demands. 2. the result of such a settlement. verb to settle by a compromise. dictionaryOrigin 1426 “a joint promise to abide by an arbiter’s decision” from Middle French compromis, from Latin compromissus from com- (together) + promittere (promise). etymology

Settle your differences. Make concessions. If any group can get past their differences and make peace, it has to be The Rascals. After all, these are the guys whose songs have hopeful lyrics and an upbeat sound: Groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon, Really couldn’t get away too soon, I can’t imagine anything that’s better, The world is ours whenever we’re together … and Yes indeed, all I, I really need, Good Lovin’, now gimme that good, good lovin’ … and then there’s this one … Written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati in 1968, People Got to Be Freeis nothing if not an idealistic yet impassioned plea for tolerance. Tolerance. Isn’t that a basic tenet for compromise?

Peace in the valley, People Got to Be Free
You should see, what a lovely, lovely world this would be,If everyone learned to live together,It seems to me such an easy, easy thing this would be,Why can’t you and me learn to love one another,All the world over, so easy to seePeople everywhere just wanna be free,
I can’t understand it, so simple to mePeople everywhere just got to be free

The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream is on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre through May 5, 2013.

The Rascals photo source: The Rascals performing at the Capitol Theater in December 2013 by Chad Batka for The New York TimesSteve Van Zandt photo source: jeffvrabel.comEddie Brigati and Steve Van Zandt quotes source: CBS This Morning ShowPeople Got to Be Free single cover: Atlantic RecordsPeople Got to Be Free lyrics: EMI Music Publishing

Filed under: Can We Talk? Tagged: Bruce Springsteen, dictionaries, Little Steven, music, origin, pop culture, rock 'n' roll, song lyrics, Steven Van Zandt, The Rascals, The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream, usage]]>https://lollapalingo.com/2013/04/23/the-art-of-compromise-little-steven-style/feed/0Post.Compromise.stevevanzandtlollapalingoPost.Compromise.rascalsPost.Compromise.stevevanzandtPost.Compromise.rascals.peoplegottobefreesingleCapturedhttps://lollapalingo.com/2013/04/20/captured/
https://lollapalingo.com/2013/04/20/captured/#respondSat, 20 Apr 2013 19:48:48 +0000http://lollapalingo.com/?p=323]]>Who would have thought that the one word we all urgently wanted to hear was captured? Today it is our favorite word. Exemplifying triumph over evil. Signifying justice. And emanating calm. After chaos, finally captured.

That it was gloriously, triumphantly tweeted by the Boston Police Department made our hearts swell:

CAPTURED!!!The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody.

We saw it on over 142,000 retweets and numerous newscasts nationwide. However exhausted we were from our shock and grief, we received this news with the utmost gratitude and satisfaction.

cap·ture[kap-cher] verb, cap·tured 1. to take by force; take prisoner; seize: The police captured the burglar. 2. to gain control of or exert influence over: it captured our attention. 3. to take possession of, as in a game: to capture a pawn in chess. 4. to represent in lasting form: The movie captured the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s. dictionaryOrigin: 1540s, from Middle French capture “a taking,” from Latin captura “a taking,” from captus. The verb 1795; in chess 1820. etymology

On any other day, when we think of captured, we think of love: “She captured my heart.”

Captured is the title of Journey’s first live album, released in 1981 on Columbia Records that went double-platinum.

Journey’s lead vocalist Steve Perry, one of rock’s great voices, put out his first solo album Street Talk in 1984. It featured the song, Captured by the Moment. A hauntingly sweet song that perfectly embodied feelings of nostalgia for notable people we lost.

Appropriate at this time, too.

Where did he go, The man who said, “I have a dream”Where have they gone, The four who sang to let it beJackie’s alone, She lost him one November dayL.A. motel, One sad mistake took Sam away

Oh, remember then, Remember whenCaptured by the moment, In the magic of a yesterdayCaptured by the moment, And I hope it never fades away

Sweet Janis cried, Lord, won’t you buy a Benz for meJimi was right, Castles made of sand slip to the sea

Oh, remember then, Remember whenCaptured by the moment, In the magic of a yesterdayCaptured by the moment, And I hope it never fades awayCaptured by the moment, Oh, in the magic of a yesterday

Otis replied, A little tenderness we got to tryOne open door, He tried to set the night on fire

Captured by the moment, In the magic of yesterdayCaptured by the moment, And I hope it never fades awayCaptured by the moment, Oh, in the magic of a yesterday

Before I could even consider answering the question, I wanted to shake him and say: “There’s no such thing as fighting a challenge! A challenge is to be met! Deal with it – and you will learn and you will soar!”

OK, I got that out of my system. Whew. No more shouting and no more exclamation marks. Promise. So what was it exactly that I found so distressing?

chal·lenge [chal-inj] noun 1. a call or summons to engage in any contest, as of skill, strength 2. something that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest 3. a call to fight, as a battle 4. a demand to explain, justify 5. difficulty in a job or undertaking. dictionary

One always hears, “Meet the challenge.” “Rise up to the challenge.” Meeting and rising. Both have positive implications. In meeting our challenges, we take a leap and rise up to get to the solution. By viewing this as a good thing, that at its core it is a positive thing, we improve not only our momentary condition, but we generate a longer term outlook with a transformed and better future in sight.

We all have challenges in our lives. We sure do. And yet as difficult as they seem, we do overcome them to see another day. Helped by a positive attitude, we keep on keepin’ on. We don’t quit. We keep trying. And trying. And trying again. We hear that “overcoming challenges in life makes us stronger.” And “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” When we believe in ourselves, we are not afraid to try. When we believe in ourselves, even when we fail, we know we can, that we will, eventually rise up and overcome our challenges.

Challenges are everywhere. In TV ads, financial institutions say they will “help you build financial security for the challenges in life,” and “together, let’s tackle our biggest financial challenges.” In the workplace we are urged to rise up to meet new challenges to get a promotion or a raise. Teachers are challenged by their students; and students are surely challenged by their teachers. The president is continually challenged by Congress. Sports figures are challenged as a way of life.

My daily challenge is the Crossword. I have done it every day for most of my life. It may not be that challenging a challenge to meet, but it is my most enjoyed diversion. And when all around me are pages with filled little boxes, there is the NY Times Colossal Crossword Challenge. Hey, it may be colossal, but it comes in paperback – handy.

Then there is the Queen song. You know which one. Heard in arenas all over the world to celebrate sports victories, We Are The Champions is the anthem that tops all anthems. But there’s more to the story than a great song. Written by Freddy Mercury, Queen’s lead singer and songwriter, it is made all the more poignant when we are reminded of his own challenges. Known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals, he died of bronchopneumonia brought on by AIDS in 1991, only one day after publicly acknowledging he had the disease. Mercury once said of himself: “When I’m performing I’m an extrovert, yet inside I’m a completely different man.” He was brave, influential, creative, talented, and larger than life. He rose up to meet his challenges and became a legend.

BORN TO RUN■ Bruce Springsteen

Filed under: Word of the Day Tagged: Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen, music, song lyrics, usage]]>https://lollapalingo.com/2013/03/04/born-to-run/feed/2Word.Run.BornToRun.albumcoverlollapalingoWord.RunBorn To Run lyricsThe Words of Downton Abbeyhttps://lollapalingo.com/2013/02/20/the-words-of-downton-abbey/
https://lollapalingo.com/2013/02/20/the-words-of-downton-abbey/#commentsWed, 20 Feb 2013 23:17:43 +0000http://lollapalingo.com/?p=273]]>Courtesy of

“Huh? What did Mrs. Hughes just say?”“What was Lord Grantham talking about?”

Wordnik to the rescue! In her February 14 Wordnik Blog post, Angela Tung elucidates those words and phrases: “If you’re like us, you’ve been closely following the trials and tribulations of the Granthams and those who serve them … We’ve also been collecting words and phrases from the show, some perfectly ordinary, others more unusual, and all with interesting stories about how they came to be.”

Blimey (Episode 4)
Sybil: “Mary, you know what I said about the baby being Catholic. I’ve just realized the christening will have to be here, at Downton.”
Mary: “Blimey.”Blimey is a British expression many of us are familiar with. It’s used to express anger, surprise, excitement, etc., and originated around 1889 as a corruption of “(God) blind me,” says etymonline. Gorblimey is a variant.

Chu Chin Chow(Episode 6)
Mrs. Hughes: “Then your dinners would be grand enough for Chu Chin Chow.”Chu Chin Chow is a musical comedy based on Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves in which “the wealthy merchant Kasim Baba (brother of Ali Baba) [gives] a lavish banquet for a wealthy Chinese merchant, Chu Chin Chow, who is on his way from China.” The show premiered in London in 1916 and ran for five years.

cock-a-hoop(Episode 8)
Hugh: “Nield is cock-a-hoop.”Cock-a-hoop means “exultant; jubilant; triumphant; on the high horse,” as well as “tipsy; slightly intoxicated.” The term comes from the phrase “to set cock on hoop,” which literally means “to turn on the tap and let the liquor flow,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), and figuratively, “to drink festively.” Cock in this context refers to “a faucet or valve by which the flow of a liquid or gas can be regulated,” while a hoop is “a certain quantity of drink, up to the first hoop on a quart pot.”

Debrett’s(Episode 5)
Cora: “Not everyone chooses their religion to satisfy Debrett’s.”Debrett’s is a British publisher of etiquette guides and Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage, a “genealogical guide to the British aristocracy.”

gippy tummy(Episode 8)
O’Brien: “Something different. I could fancy that.”
Wilkins: “Not me. All sweat and gippy tummy.”A gippy tummy is, according to the OED, “diarrhœa suffered by visitors to hot countries,” where gippy is slang for Egyptian. Gippy tummy may also be an anachronism: the OED lists the earliest use of the term as 1943, 23 years after this episode takes place.

hobbledehoy(Episode 1)
Carson: “Miss O’Brien, we are about to host a society wedding. I have no time for training young hobbledehoys.”
A “raw, awkward youth,” the word is very old, originating in the 16th century. The first syllable hob probably refers to “a hobgoblin, sprite, or elf,” while -dehoy may come from the Middle French de haye, “worthless, untamed, wild.”

in someone’s bad books(Episode 2)
Daisy [to Mosely about O’Brien]: “I wouldn’t be in her bad books for a gold clock.”To be in someone’s bad books means to be in disgrace or out of favor. The phrase originated around 1861, says the OED. An earlier phrase (1771) is to be in someone’s black book. A black book was “a book kept for the purpose of registering the names of persons liable to censure or punishment, as in the English universities, or the English armies.” So to be in someone’s black book meant to be in bad favor with that person.

in the soup(Episode 2)
Daisy [to Mosely]: “You’re in the soup.”To be in the soup means to be in difficulty, according to the OED. The phrase was originally American slang, originating around 1889.

Johnny Foreigner(Episode 3)
Robert: “But there always seems to be something of Johnny Foreigner about the Catholics.”Johnny Foreigner is a derogatory term for “a person from a country other than those which make up the United Kingdom.”

left-footer(Episode 6)
Robert: “Did you hear Tom’s announcement at breakfast? He wants the child to be a left-footer.”Anachronism alert! Left-footer, which is slang for a Roman Catholic, didn’t come about until 1944, according to the OED, 24 years after this episode takes place. The term seems to come from the belief that “in the North of Ireland that Catholic farm workers use their left foot to push the spade when digging, and Protestants the right.”

plain cook(Episode 4)
Mrs. Bird: “She says there’s plenty of work for a plain cook these days.”A plain cook, says the OED, is “a cook who specializes in, or most frequently prepares, plain dishes.” Plain dishes are “not rich or highly seasoned,” and have a few basic ingredients.

rich as Croesus(Episode 1)
Mary: “He’s as rich as Croesus as it is.”Croesus was, in ancient Greece, the last king of Lydia “whose kingdom, which had prospered during his reign, fell to the Persians under Cyrus.” Croesus came to refer to any rich man by the late 14th century.

squiffy(Episode 6)
Robert: “I’m very much afraid to say he was a bit squiffy, weren’t you, Alfred?”Squiffy means tipsy or drunk, and is of “fanciful formation,” according to the OED.

stick it up your jumper(Episode 6)
Anna: “They’ll have to give Thomas his notice.”Bates: “Mr. Barrow.”Anna: “Mr. Stick It Up Your Jumper.”The full phrase is oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper!, and is “an expression of contempt, defiance, rejection or dismissal.” It may have originally been “a meaningless jingle chanted jocularly or derisively” from the 1920s. The phrase makes a famous appearance in the Beatles’ song, I Am the Walrus.

tuppence (Episode 6)
Isabel: “She couldn’t give a tuppence about Ethel.”Tuppence is an alternation of twopence, two pennies or a very small amount. One who doesn’t give a tuppence doesn’t care at all.

Never one to miss an opportunity to talk up a musical reference, Lollapalingo returns you now to the previously mentioned, I Am the Walrus. A 1967 song by the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it appears on the album, Magical Mystery Tour. According to Mark Lewisohn in his book, The Beatles: Recording Sessions(Harmony Books NY 1990), a group of professional studio vocalists, the Mike Sammes Singers, took part in the recording of I Am the Walrus, variously singing “Ho-ho-ho, hee-hee-hee, ha-ha-ha”, “oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper!“, “everybody’s got one” and making a series of shrill whooping noises.

Blimey, I daresay those verses make more sense when one is a bit squiffy and feeling cock-a-hoop, not that we give a tuppence what anyone thinks.

Here we are at holiday time. A time of festivity and remembrance, introspection and gratitude. Yet, at this holiday time, when we still hold hope for peace and joy, we also consider a tragedy befallen a community. And we are all a little less for it. A little less secure, a little less tranquil, a little less humanized. For we have witnessed horror.

si·lence [sahy-luh ns] noun 1. absence of any sound or noise; stillness. 2. the state of being silent; muteness. 3. absence or omission of mention, comment, or expressed concern. 4. the state of being forgotten. 5. concealment; secrecy. verb (used with object) 6. to put or bring to silence; still. 7. to put (doubts, fears) to rest; quiet. dictionary.com Origin: early 13c., from Old French silence “absence of sound,” from Latin silentium “a being silent,” from silens, prp. of silere “be quiet or still.” etymonline.com

“There are no words.”

At such a time, we are silenced. We are mute. We are numbed – our world is crushed and our feelings just frayed. We need solace. We seek wholeness. We need strength. We want answers.

“There are no words.”

But there must be words that are meaningful and timely. How do we find them? Where do we turn?

“AFTER SILENCE THAT WHICH COMES NEAREST TOEXPRESSING THE INEXPRESSIBLE IS MUSIC.”

First grade teacher Victoria Soto shielded her students from the barrage of bullets. Family friend Paul Simon sang “The Sound of Silence” at her funeral. Without introduction and with only his acoustic guitar for accompaniment, he sang her favorite song. As reported, “When Simon finished, there was no applause. Just a hushed and reverent silence.”

Is silence important? That Paul Simon performed this same song during the 10th anniversary commemoration of 9/11 at Ground Zero in New York on September 11, 2011 suggests it is. That we don’t know what to say – and can’t find the words – is normal. It may be a reflexive reaction that nonetheless serves us well. Silence allows us to shut off all the noise around us and instead listen to our own internal voice. It gives us a chance to organize our thoughts. What do we really think? How do we really feel? What do we need to do? How can we move forward? If it is only through music that we communicate surest – just for now – then so be it. There will be time enough for talk once we find our words. For now, the sound of silence is a comfort.

Hello darkness, my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleepingAnd the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a streetlamp I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share No one dare
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools” said I, “You do not know Silence like a cancer grow
Hear my words that I might teach you Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets Are written on subway walls And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence”

Filed under: Word of the Day Tagged: "The Sound of Silence", music, origin, Paul Simon, pop culture, silence, song lyrics]]>https://lollapalingo.com/2012/12/23/silence/feed/0Silence.musicspeakslollapalingoSilence.musicspeaksGratefulhttps://lollapalingo.com/2012/11/21/grateful/
https://lollapalingo.com/2012/11/21/grateful/#respondWed, 21 Nov 2012 18:01:24 +0000http://lollapalingo.com/?p=236]]>What do we think of when we think of the word grateful?

“Sugar magnolia, blossoms blooming, heads all empty and I don’t care, Saw my baby down by the river, knew she’d have to come up soon for air. Sweet blossom come on, under the willow, we can have high times if you’ll abide, We can discover the wonders of nature, rolling in the rushes down by the riverside.”

Definitely the Grateful Dead. Grateful and dead. It means life and death simultaneously. According to Jerry Garcia, it’s from a folk tale of a wanderer who gives his last penny to pay for a corpse’s burial, and then is magically aided by the spirit of the dead person. etymonline.com

grate·ful [greyt-fuhl] an adjective meaning 1) warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful, 2) expressing gratitude, 3) pleasing to the mind or senses; agreeable or welcome. Synonyms are obliged, indebted, pleasant, gratifying, satisfying. Related word is thankful. dictionary.comOrigin is from 1552 from obsolete adj. grate agreeable, thankful, from Latin gratus pleasing, and uses -ful to make an adj. from an adj. etymonline.com

Being grateful. A state of mind. An avenue to positive thinking. And now at Thanksgiving, being grateful dominates our thoughts. After a brutal election season. After the brutal effects of a Superstorm. After a brutal economic year. We must look beyond all the brutality. To look within and remember that there is much we can be grateful for. We may be anxious, worried, and stressed. Hopefully we are still hopeful.

Can we be hopeful in a world filled with conflict? Is there a way to even consider gratitude as events in the Middle East takeover our thoughts? Peace and war, allies and enemies. The Dalai Lamabelieves there is. “For a person who cherishes compassion and love, the practice of tolerance is essential, and for that, an enemy is indispensable. So we should feel grateful to our enemies … with a change in circumstances, enemies become friends.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama can see a glimmer of hope through the thicket. We must, too. In the clearing there lies goodwill, tranquility, harmony. For now can we be grateful for just the possibility?

Count on a Beatle to sum it up best. “Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve ever given me, How can I explain what it means to be loved by you, By you, loved by you, loved by you. Show my gratitude, gratitude, Show my gratitude. I want to show my gratitude, gratitude.” Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney.

Oh yeah, there is always time, too, to be grateful in Stephen King’s world: “You may wonder about long-term solutions. I assure you, there are none. All wounds are mortal. Take what’s given. You sometimes get a little slack in the rope but the rope always has an end. So what? Bless the slack and don’t waste your breath cursing the drop. A grateful heart knows that in the end we all swing.” (From Skeleton Crew)

What a wonderful world! For this alone we must be grateful. Louis Armstrong sang about it: “I see trees of green, red roses too, I see ‘em bloom for me and for you, and I think to myself what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue, clouds of white, Bright blessed days, dark sacred nights. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

We can also be grateful for the kindness others bestow upon us. For the help we receive from our neighbors. For our survival. For our delivery. And for our blessings. We have a day to remember that which we have much to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving.

Filed under: Word of the Day Tagged: Grateful Dead, origin, pop culture, song lyrics, Thanksgiving, usage]]>https://lollapalingo.com/2012/11/21/grateful/feed/0DalaiLama.GratefullollapalingoGratefulDead.GratefulPaulMcCartney.GratitudeSkeletonCrew.GratefulCarefree vs. Carelesshttps://lollapalingo.com/2012/10/10/carefree-vs-careless/
https://lollapalingo.com/2012/10/10/carefree-vs-careless/#respondWed, 10 Oct 2012 19:37:20 +0000http://lollapalingo.com/?p=227]]>Who doesn’t luxuriate in the feeling of being carefree? Didn’t we feel carefree when we were young? When dreams were unreserved and hopes high. How about now? As much as we still want to dig that carefree, easy feeling, we are older and wiser now. We don’t want to be careless and squander those good feelings. We really ought to cherish them forever.

Careless [kair-lis]an adjective meaning 1) not paying enough attention to what one does; 2) not exact, accurate, or thorough; 3) done or said heedlessly or negligently; 4) unconcerned. Synonyms are 1) inattentive, indiscreet, reckless; 2) inaccurate; 3) unmindful; 4) thoughtless, forgetful, inconsiderate. Its antonym is careful. dictionary.com Origin is Middle English “free from anxiety, unconcerned” and “inattentive, not taking due care” from 1561, in carelessly. etymonline.com

Let’s first consider how Dana Spiotta used these terms in her wonderfully reminiscent (certainly for me!) Stone Arabia(Simon & Schuster, 2011, Page 154):

“Bill slammed his fist into Nik’s face. A loud smack of skin with a cracking sound underneath. A sharp out breath, a yelp of pain. The fight was over. Bill stormed down the stairs. I shrieked at him. He left. Nik had a towel on his face, blood everywhere. And I knew, of course, that Ada and her friend had watched the whole thing. I could hear Ada crying. I held her and watched Lisa, Nik’s girlfriend at the time, clean him up. Then I had this thought. This ugliness means something, this pointless ugliness in front of my child. Were we shameless, was that it? That must not have been it, because I felt a hot, deep shame. It wasn’t that we were shameless, it was that we were careless. In that moment we had closed the distance between carefree and careless. Somehow, as we grew older, we lost our liberated, irresistible claim on being carefree. I felt it then, even if Nik didn’t. It had snuck up on us and hardened into something else.”

Nik’s life is ruled by rock ‘n’ roll. Encompassed and enthralled by it. This story of family and affliction and duty and truth and creativity, of growing up and growing old, of following one’s dreams, is transcended by that all-powerful entity that is rock ‘n’ roll. And throughout we are confronted by what we may have once considered carefree and what may have turned careless – our feelings, our actions, our motives.

Albert Einstein said, “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” But we may have to give this round to Taylor Swift, who pretty much sums it up, “I’ve been careful in love. I’ve been careless in love. And I’ve had adventures I wouldn’t trade for anything.” Can’t argue with that.

Songs with careless in the lyrics include Careless Whisper by George Michael (“Time can never mend, the careless whispers of a good friend.”), Careless Heart by Roy Orbison, with Diane Warren and Albert Hammond, (“If not for my Careless heart, You’d still be loving me, If not for my Careless heart, You’d still be mine.”), and Careless Love by Janis Joplin (“Oh love, oh love, oh careless love, Now now don’t you see what your careless love has done.”). Not a coincidence that it is these three artists singing about being careless. They know a thing or two about heartbreak, don’t they? And lest we forget, let’s refer back to Ms. Swift’s salient point.

A song that includes carefree in the lyrics is Gordon Lightfoot’s Carefree Highway (“The mornin’ after blues from my head down to my shoes, Carefree highway, let me slip away.”). But there are many more songs that evoke that carefree feeling: (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding, Daydream by the Lovin’ Spoonful , Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper, Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Free Falling by Tom Petty.

One artist strikes me as being the embodiment of carefree. At least it’s what his music seems to reflect. Jason Mraz, whose bouncy music has such carefree song titles – I Won’t Give Up, I’m Yours, Lucky, Life Is Wonderful. He is the epitome of all things positive and upbeat. Wouldn’t you think? Although his music may have the sound and the sheen of being carefree, his actions go deeper. They are anything but carefree. He cares about his fellow man and the environment. He supports tree planting organizations. And pursues recycling efforts. For his Summer 2012 US tour, Jason partnered with Reverb to leave each city he visits better than it was before by lessening his environmental impact there. From his journal dated September 17, 2012, “To sing and travel is to occupy the air. Planting trees and servicing them is to be grounded.” His music’s spirit may be carefree. But this caring artist is everything but careless.